Forty-four percent of students said they were harassed “in person” — being subjected to unwelcome comments or jokes, inappropriate touching or sexual intimidation — and 30 percent reported online harassment, like receiving unwelcome comments, jokes or pictures through texts, e-mail, Facebook and other tools, or having sexual rumors, information or pictures spread about them.

I'm guessing that the difference between 44% and 100% is the measure of unwelcomeness. The question included mere comments and jokes. Wouldn't nearly all middle school kids hear such things? The definition does not seem to be limited to comments and jokes that target the individual who answers yes or that persist after the individual has voiced her lack of receptiveness.

“I was called a whore because I have many friends that are boys,” one ninth-grade girl was quoted as saying. An eighth-grade boy, meanwhile, reported, “They spread rumors I was gay because I played on the basketball team.”

These are the comments selected for quoting, so presumably much of the reported harassment is less compelling than that. And yet this sounds like run-of-the-mill teasing. It's not very nice, but isn't it normal childish? I think it's a little funny that both those quotes include points of pride. The girl has a lot of boyfriends. The boy is on the basketball team. It sounds like their "harassers" are jealous and they know it.

The report documents many forms of harassment. The most common was unwelcome sexual comments, gestures or jokes, which was experienced by 46 percent of girls and 22 percent of boys. Separately, 13 percent of girls reported being touched in an unwelcome way, compared with 3 percent of boys; 3.5 percent of girls said they were forced to do something sexual, as did 0.2 percent of boys. About 18 percent of both boys and girls reported being called gay or lesbian in a negative way.

It's important to break down the subcategories of harassment. The touching and, obviously, the forcing are important, but even that information needs to be more fine-grained. You might object to someone touching you on the shoulder. You might feel forced by social norms to hug people you don't particularly want to hug. What counts as "something sexual"? I'm not suggesting bad things don't happen, just looking critically at survey questions that inflate the numbers by grouping things together that don't belong together if we're deciding how outraged we're going to be and what steps we ought to take to intervene.

As for being called gay, that is a special problem. It's not just that it has a sexual aspect, but that it involves perpetuating hostility toward a particular group and it also attacks a central part of a young person's identity (whether the individual is actually gay or not). But, again, let's be careful. Out of 100 instances of a kid getting called "gay," how many are the casual, meaningless proliferation of a bad word and how many truly channel hatefulness?

What is the point of this survey? To get adults exciting about solving a big problem? If so, I want a much more accurate count of genuinely problematic instances.

As someone in middle school who was a target, of harassing that was sexually graphic, twenty years later I'm upset that no one stepped in sooner. I didn't have a lot of friends and socially awkward to begin with. I could be sitting there in tears and the teacher didn't do anything for the longest time. Unfortunately when it came to a head, I could even bare to repeat what was said to me.

I'm not angry at the boys, I'm angry at the adults. Not only teachers, but the parents who leave adult material out. These boys had sources, and this was at a time of pre-internet.

Parents please block the material on cable, don't have TVs or a computer in their personal room. It also helps being a role model, if you don't bring it in the house, there is a less of a chance your son will think that's a normal way to speak to a woman or anyone.

Also even in elementary school that far ago, the term gay or f*g was commonly used. Either way these words should not be used in a school/work setting ever.

The point is maybe, the students feel uncomfortable with this behavior allowed even if they are not a target. They put up with it and even participate just so they won't be next. How would anyone learn in this situation?

It's not like we're asking for everyone to be best friends, just don't be a jerk to your fellow classmates.

The U.S. needs and craves a war on its own soil. You can see in this stupidity, and in the sex abuse hysteria in the PSU link, how desperately the U.S. needs and craves a war on its own soil.

Such a war would unleash the bloodlust that liberals secretly crave (see OWS), give everybody a way to completely go crazy with lust and revenge, replace the tedium of our jobs with outbursts of insane debauchery and massacres, and reduce the population without resort to birth control.

War on our own soil would give everybody some degree of perspective on what is and isn't important.

Yes, we need an all out war on our own soil. Everybody's secretly dreaming and lusting for it.

Renee,there are a few parents out there that are trying to teach their kids morality and respect, but unfortunately not enough. Sorry you had to go through that when you were in school, in some ways things today are even worse. Our culture is so hyper sexualized, even the most vigilant parents and teachers have a difficult time getting any positive thoughts through to the kids. Give your time and support to community groups that are reinforcing positive images and actions in children. In my community and my family, youth sports for girls has been one of the best antidotes to that relentless sexual presence.

What constitutes sexual harassment? The pressure to get laid is intense between adolescent boys and grows stronger each year. Among friends it can be just good-natured ribbing from the guys that have to those that have not yet, but among less friendly acquaintances, it can get brutal and embarrassing. I notice this is never really lumped in with so-called sexual harassment.

As for being called gay, that is a special problem. It's not just that it has a sexual aspect, but that it involves perpetuating hostility toward a particular group and it also attacks a central part of a young person's identity_______________

In this age, saying that it perpetuates hostility in and of itself perpetuates that very hostility.

The U.S. needs and craves a war on its own soil. You can see in this stupidity, and in the sex abuse hysteria in the PSU link, how desperately the U.S. needs and craves a war on its own soil.

Such a war would unleash the bloodlust that liberals secretly crave (see OWS), give everybody a way to completely go crazy with lust and revenge, replace the tedium of our jobs with outbursts of insane debauchery and massacres, and reduce the population without resort to birth control.

War on our own soil would give everybody some degree of perspective on what is and isn't important.

Yes, we need an all out war on our own soil. Everybody's secretly dreaming and lusting for it.

11/7/11 9:53 AM

Shouting , when said war transpires, will you be the General? Insane debauchery? Methinks you are feeling randy. As for your bloodlust, have a Bloody Mary, the feelings of rage will subside after a few stiff ones.

The U.S. needs and craves a war on its own soil. You can see in this stupidity, and in the sex abuse hysteria in the PSU link, how desperately the U.S. needs and craves a war on its own soil.

Such a war would unleash the bloodlust that liberals secretly crave (see OWS), give everybody a way to completely go crazy with lust and revenge, replace the tedium of our jobs with outbursts of insane debauchery and massacres, and reduce the population without resort to birth control.

That's certainly what the Occupation wants. And I don't doubt the Apple lurves the Occupation.

Shouting , when said war transpires, will you be the General? Insane debauchery? Methinks you are feeling randy. As for your bloodlust, have a Bloody Mary, the feelings of rage will subside after a few stiff ones.

You keep resorting to that same tactic, Allie.

Remember? Righteous anger is a virtue for leftists, but a sign of mental instability on the part of conservatives.

You are constantly pulling it out.

I'm not feeling any rage. I've never wanted to be a general, but I'll be happy to be a private first class in the general debauchery.

The worst and most corrosive sexual harassment is that perpetrated by the education establishment itself with its pro-hypersexuality agenda, complete with condom distribution, implicitly and explicitly telling kids that sexual activity at their age is the norm.

Combine that with a hypersexualized culture of all sex all the time, it is no wonder that kids will interact with others in a sexualized manner, welcome or not.

Shouting , when said war transpires, will you be the General? Insane debauchery? Methinks you are feeling randy. As for your bloodlust, have a Bloody Mary, the feelings of rage will subside after a few stiff ones.

You keep resorting to that same tactic, Allie.

Remember? Righteous anger is a virtue for leftists, but a sign of mental instability on the part of conservatives.

You are constantly pulling it out.

I'm not feeling any rage. I've never wanted to be a general, but I'll be happy to be a private first class in the general debauchery.

11/7/11 10:12 AMOK OK , guilty as charged. You are very virtuous (righteously of course) in your bloodlust. Why not be a General? You would cut a dashing figure whilst debauching.

pailoThe point of the survey is to reinforce the need for "Anti-bullying" initiatives in public schools. My theory: LGBT community behind the empaphasis on "anti-bullying" because they want to punish kids for using the term "gay" as an insult. Kids use that term all the time as a synonym for lame, unpopular, stupid, etc. without any sexuality inferences. The LGBT wants to restrict the word "gay" for their approved purposes only.

The LGBT wants to restrict the word "gay" for their approved purposes only.

The LGBT wants to make itself a special, protected class, free from cricitism and ridicule, with special privileges and rights.

11/7/11 10:36 AM Good grief, is EQUAL rights too much to ask? Is it a special privilege to marry one whom you love? What makes heterosexual marriage better? Some hetero couples choose not to procreate, while some same sex couples actually adopt and live out a more "natural" family unit than a childless couple by choice.

The AAUW is a hopelessly liberal organization that fully supports women killing "abusive" husbands, even when there is no evidence of abuse except the woman's word. Why would a woman lie?

Considering the definition they use of sexual harassment, I'm surprised the numbers aren't higher. Myself and almost eveyone I knew during that age range would have been sexually harassed several times a week.

The AAUW is a cause looking for a place to happen. They should be taken with a grain of salt. They seek the liberal, totalitarian utopia.

As a teacher in a Deep South inner city school the two words I hear most everyday are "Nigga" (or some variation there of) or "Gay". Both words set me on edge. Yet when I correct students on the usage of the terms they just laugh at me. Five minutes later they're right back to using them again. It seems that these words lack the stigma of previous times, days, or eras. That the ugliness has been taken out of the words and they are becoming, if not gentrified, at least defanged as they are used by teenagers. Still, I hate both words.

Seriously, I get called "gay" every single day, and have since I was a kid. I'm not at all effeminate, it's just the culture I grew up in. Should I call 911? I'm also called a racist in every argument with a liberal. I think being a racist is worse than be gay, but I'm confused by all of this. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I am a gay racist. Is there a test I can take, because everyone I talk to thinks I'm one or the other.

"In Brazil, children are far more sexually expressive and condoms are distributed in public school to eleven year olds."

How sweet. A country where the innocence of children is plundered to satisfy your own genital and voyeuristic urges. A pedophile's / NAMBLA-ist's dream.

Yes, yes, I know. If we don't give them condoms, they'll only go out and fuck anyway. Why not just give them all cars, booze and heroin? They're only going to drive, drink and shoot up anyway (and a drunk 11 year old is a lot easier to score into the sack, anyway). Go balls out for freedom, jimbino.

As for being called gay, that is a special problem.Surely Ann meant "Special blessing"?They can't teach kids to read and write, but they will sure as Hell exercise extremely fine-grained control over their thoughts and behavior. It's almost like that's what the educational establishment thinks is their job.

I went through much the same, though I can't much blame the teachers, because the worst of it was on the school bus. Ultimately I basically bugged myself (i.e., surreptitiously borrowed my mom's mini tape recorder) and taped one morning's abuse; then I wrote out a transcript and presented it, with the tape, to the principal the following morning. Problem solved :-)

The thing is, it was all -- surprise, surprise -- juvenile. The kids (and they were all other girls, by the way; I am sooooo tired of hearing people assume that sexual harassment in school is a boy-attacks-girl [or boy-attacks-gay-boy] phenomenon) just threw whatever they thought was offensive at me in the hopes that something would stick. So, yes, I was called a "lezzie." Also, I had "n*gg*r lips" (hey, people pay big money to attain full lips now, not that I had them anyway); "you're so skinny, can't your parents afford to feed you enough?" (would that it had been true, even then); "Does your mom like kinky sex?"; &c.

Now, all this was ca. 1980, but the use of gay slurs today is probably pretty much the same. Except that in the intervening 30 years, many more teens have actually come out, so that it's likely that a lot more of the kids called "fags" or "lezzies" are in fact gay. Whereas I was just a straight nerd who hated sports and listened only to classical music. Kind of the same thing, so far as my bullies were concerned.

Good grief, is EQUAL rights too much to ask? Is it a special privilege to marry one whom you love? What makes heterosexual marriage better? Some hetero couples choose not to procreate, while some same sex couples actually adopt and live out a more "natural" family unit than a childless couple by choice.

Another one of those EQUAL rights, Allie, is the right to accept criticism and ridicule with grace, just like everybody else.

You are so confused, Allie. You live in the midwest. I've spent the past 35 years in San Francisco and in the gayest districts of NYC.

How did you convince yourself that I'm on a crusade to deny gays their rights?

The LGBT wants to restrict the word "gay" for their approved purposes only.

The LGBT wants to make itself a special, protected class, free from cricitism and ridicule, with special privileges and rights.

Good grief, is EQUAL rights too much to ask? Is it a special privilege to marry one whom you love? What makes heterosexual marriage better? Some hetero couples choose not to procreate, while some same sex couples actually adopt and live out a more "natural" family unit than a childless couple by choice.

They have equal rights, dear. The same Constitutional rights as everyone else.

Marriage is not one of those rights. We restrict all manner of people from getting married - although The Lefties want to change that so more and more generations of idiots are produced who will become thralls of the State and good, loyal Democrat voters.

"while some same sex couples actually adopt and live out a more "natural" family unit than a childless couple by choice"

The demand to be released from the rough and tumble of public criticism, ridicule and name calling is a demand for special rights and privileges.

All the rest of us, including white hetero males, are expected to live with criticism, ridicule and name calling.

The correct application of EQUAL rights would be for gays to do what everybody else is required to do... suck it up, develop a sense of humor and don't take yourself so seriously.

Believe me, Allie, what the advocates of this bullshit want... which is to stop hatred of gays by controlling what people think and say... doesn't and will not work. It will produce the opposite result.

To redefine reality.To redefine the words "sexual" and "harassment" such that the words, when used together, render almost half of teenagers as "victims" in need of intervention.To make more people dependent on bureaucracy instead learning how to solve problems for themselves. Same as the "anti-bullying" campaign. To eventually turn us all into helpless children who require some (government) bureaucracy to mediate our personal problems.

Also, and this is probably an entirely unintended plus:To drive men and women to hate and distrust each other.To make a bunch of bitter, ugly ladies feel like victims. ANDTo allow a bunch of bitter, ugly gentlement feel like victims.And give the rest of us a big pain in the ass griping about it.

Haven't read through the comments yet so maybe this has already been said.

Middle-schoolers are both very savvy about sex and woefully stupid about sex.

The words they use are not understood well at all. I was shocked when my daughter described someone as a "whore." When I asked her what that word means, she was able to give only a vague description...basically, it means someone she doesn't like. When I told her what the word means, she was taken aback. She had no idea. So when adults hear the word "whore," they hear it completely differently from the way it was intended to sound.

We all--homo and hetero--can marry someone of the opposite sex. We all have equal rights that way. Oh, but you want the right to marry someone you love. Well, then. That would give me the right to marry your husband if I loved him? What happens to my rights if he didn't love me back? What if I love my brother or my uncle or the little boy next door?

The right to marry someone you love is just stupid. If you want to marry someone of the same sex, at least have the guts to say it that way. But you already have the same right to marry that we all have. Those are the equal rights you asked for.

We all--homo and hetero--can marry someone of the opposite sex. We all have equal rights that way. Oh, but you want the right to marry someone you love. Well, then. That would give me the right to marry your husband if I loved him? What happens to my rights if he didn't love me back? What if I love my brother or my uncle or the little boy next door?

The right to marry someone you love is just stupid. If you want to marry someone of the same sex, at least have the guts to say it that way. But you already have the same right to marry that we all have. Those are the equal rights you asked for.

11/7/11 11:29 AMOK Prairie, I stand corrected, marry someone of the same sex, as long as he/she isn't already married to someone else, that would be bigamy.

OK Prairie, I stand corrected, marry someone of the same sex, as long as he/she isn't already married to someone else, that would be bigamy.

And what's the difference between two same-sex, consenting adults deciding that their version of love, marriage and family is more valid (and thus should be more legal) than a man, and woman, and another woman...or, to take your position to it's logical extension, three men?

Same-sex marriage advocates tend to want the door swung wide open for them, legally speaking, but slammed shut right behind them after they walk through.

AAUW is among the least-credible sources on this question. They helped launch Dr. Christina Hoff Sommers' career as a public intellectual (Who Stole Feminism?) by providing laughably easy targets in the ludicrous data they published on gender issues.

Speaking of harassment, Gloria Allred is going to have a 1:30 EST press conference with one of the Cain accusers. Is there someone, somewhere, that can render Allred moot? I'm truly sick of seeing her name attached to shit like this.

The difference between work harassment and school harassment, is that people can find another job and quit voluntarily on good grounds. When you're 12 by law you can't quit; it's not at-will.

As Michelle described is what's typical of harassment for a middle school student. It's true some people are jerks, but no you can't be a jerk on school time or if outside of school affects that student's ability to go on about his or her day. Not to repeat myself, it's not about having to like everyone. It's about not being obnoxious and cruel to another for your own personal gratification.

By 7th grade every student should be able to start acting and thinking more like adults, considering they're at the point of puberty, in how to respect others.

Would you also be upset if a school councelor tried to help or intervene to prevent it from continuing?

At what age to you believe that a child/teen/young adult should have the ability to deal with these things without adult intervention? 25?

There is a difference between parental indifference and the need to teach strength of character (so your child doesn't become a bully) and strength of self (so your child can defend themselves against bullies). Helicoptering this generation is not going to be net positive for the country...any country...and that's just what we're doing.

A boy told my 7th grade daughter that he wants to see her naked. I doubt if she views it as sexual harassment, but I do. From what I've witnessed, both boys and girls in middle school are incredibly bold when it comes to talking about sex. Ironically (or maybe not), they don't even know what they're talking about half the time. I guess it's their way of flirting. I totally get middle school style flirting, but a remark like I wrote above could make some girls very uncomfortable, and therefore it's harassment.

That may be Shouting, but do you think this woman would go public , she seems intelligent, she probably understands the repercussions of giving false testimony on such a huge scale. Time will tell, I hear the are 8 women who have come forward, maybe more will go public after this.

In the 70s-80s, some adults females, girls who didn't get chased so much, along with some of the girls who didn't like some of the boys who chased them, came up with the concept of sexual harassment to describe the process. Energies, IMHO, would've been better spent by these women encouraging mothers to teach and reinforce good old fashioned gentlemanly values in their sons.

That may be Shouting, but do you think this woman would go public , she seems intelligent, she probably understands the repercussions of giving false testimony on such a huge scale. Time will tell, I hear the are 8 women who have come forward, maybe more will go public after this.

Now that Allred is involved, I know for certain that this is just a Democratic Party plot to destroy Cain. Nothing else there.

What "repercussions?" An appearance on Oprah? Book deal? Heroine of the Democratic Party.

Middle wouldn't believe us if we told them that their lurid middle school years could make it impossible for them to run for higher office. But with the way things live forever online, not at all out of the question that a video of a kid saying "That's so gay" or "she's a whore" would come up in an election campaign 30 years down the road.

Well then Scott and Shouting, good thing you aren't running for the highest office in the land. Besides, aren't we sick of Clintonesque oval office "romances"? Why risk that again , if the allegations are true and he misused his power back then, what will he be capable of as President ?

Well then Scott and Shouting, good thing you aren't running for the highest office in the land. Besides, aren't we sick of Clintonesque oval office "romances"?

Don't get me wrong...all of that's way behind me so I would have no problem not pulling a Clinton (no pun). My point was more toward the campaign that would inevitably have to deal with various, er, things...

At what age to you believe that a child/teen/young adult should have the ability to deal with these things without adult intervention? 25?

Where do you get the idea I would approve of the age 25 being the cutoff date? That's crazy dude.

I'm talking middle school age. You seem to think there is nothing that anyone could ever say or do to you or your kids that would bother you in the least. That is odd.

I'm not talking about babying our children for every little petty thing that comes along. What I am saying is there are times when our kids are insulted, offended or harrassed and maybe we should talk to them about it. You seem to just want to ignore it as a 'kids thing' that builds 'strength of character'. Do you really believe in this fictional John Wayne approach to life?

Seriously, there is a middle ground. And it's not a 'liberal thing'. It's called common sense. Kids need parental and councelor support from time to time.

Well then Scott and Shouting, good thing you aren't running for the highest office in the land. Besides, aren't we sick of Clintonesque oval office "romances"? Why risk that again , if the allegations are true and he misused his power back then, what will he be capable of as President ?

The appearance of Allred on the scene makes it clear that there is no substance to these allegations. This is now, without any doubt, a Democratic Party character assassination campaign.

Cain will have to prove himself now. This is a racist attack by the Democratic Party, intended to picture him as a black man who can't control himself. The Democratic Party takes any defection from the plantation as a direct threat.

I'd like to see Cain win this battle. We'll see what he's made of, won't we, Allie?

Sooner or later, a black man will appear on the scene who knows how to defeat these racist tactics. (Well, Justice Thomas succeeded on a different stage.)

One of the pleasure of reading comments on a subject like this is to see how soon and how often it descends into Just Plain Fucking Nuts. The real breakdown in thinking isn't Left/Right or Conservative/Liberal it is Crazy/Sane. JPFN can be seen on both ends of the political spectrum but not so much in the middle. It would be nice if the Bookends of Idiocy could hit the mute button and let the grownups speak. But unfortunately the media wants loud proud and stupid. Makes better press.

If I was 25 and experienced the same thing what I endured in 7th the grade, I would go to the police and file and criminal harassment charges and get a restraining order. So maybe that is what we should do to harassers? But I know my harassers were 12 also, and I hope to think they now know what they did was wrong. Since we were not full adults, teachers need to step in and correct harassing behavior without being punitive.

Where do you get the idea I would approve of the age 25 being the cutoff date? That's crazy dude.

That's snark. I'm of the opinion, in general, that we allow our "children" to be so well into their 20's these days. I'm 41 with a 20, 7, 4, and 2.

You seem to think there is nothing that anyone could ever say or do to you or your kids that would bother you in the least. That is odd.

What's odd is your assumption based on nothing that supports it.

You seem to just want to ignore it as a 'kids thing' that builds 'strength of character'.

Not at all. I've always maintained wide open communication with my children, regardless of age and what they're going through. Odd that you would think I want to ignore it. What does John Wayne have to do with any of this, by the way? Conservative = John Wayne Fantasy in your mind?

My approach to life is that untold generations of people were born, raised, and did just fine without all the crap that we seem insistent on shoving down their formative throats these past couple of decades. It's my opinion that it's been a net negative for our society.

Seriously, there is a middle ground.

If you read carefully, you might see that's exactly what I was advocating for.

Since we were not full adults, teachers need to step in and correct harassing behavior without being punitive.

The problem is, what can teachers actually do at this point? In public school, you can't just kick them out of class for lacking manners. What can teacher reasonably do about this stuff in that climate?

I think there is some terrible bullying/harrassment in schools and it's probably always been so, but since many people have raised perfect little heathens who have no manners at all we're just going to get more of it. Good manners solve a host of problems.

I think the 'strengh of character' part set me off a bit. I over- interpreted your view.

I also was in part lumping you in with Pogo who seems to think harrassment is all made up.

Sure, some do pamper their kids too much. And, yes, there are too many law suits. But harrassment is not just a small thing. In the past parents and teachers did let a lot of things go and ignore others. I'm not sure that was a good idea.

I appreciate the sentiments before that and have to say that, as to the above, I think the knee-jerk reaction to "letting things go" in the past is one of the problems I have. I get the sense that there are a lot of people, some who've never had kids (surprise, surprise) that are quick to try out the latest psychobabble du jour without enough contemplation about the consequences.

My goal with my kids is to raise the bar and keep it raised. There are definitely age-appropriate things that they cannot handle where my wife or I will step in, but for the most part, we're letting them figure out things themselves as much as possible.

Seriously, there is a middle ground. And it's not a 'liberal thing'. It's called common sense. Kids need parental and counselor support from time to time.

No, what kids need is for other kids' parents to lay down the law. The very last thing I needed in my own situation was "counseling." What I needed was a metaphorical stick to beat the bullies off with. So I whittled one.

My parents were supportive, naturally; but I didn't tell them about this until after the fact. You can guess why, right? Nothing fuels bullying like running to a Mom and Dad who have a habit of calling the principal about the slightest complaint. I thought I had better do this myself, and let them know afterwards. As I said, it worked.

In hindsight, due to the age and sexual nature I think the teacher should of called child protective services when I was sexually harassed. It obvious these 12 year olds in my harassment situation had access to material from adults. Knowing parents may be charged for neglect or have their children removed, might give the m motivation not to have it in the home.